Yes, you are reading that correctly; the five song Friday is BACK. As I have alluded to previously, I have been a bit busy with leaving my job, and starting nursing school; but that hasn’t stopped my passion for discovering and sharing new music. Today will have five songs that I have discovered since the last 5SF, which at this point, seems like an eon ago. Let’s not dwell on the past though, because there are some major songs to be shared today!
NOTE: I am trying out the GrooveShark method to post music, and so far, it appears to be VERY buggy (I can’t get it to play the songs for the most part either, so I get it if you are frustrated; TRUST ME, so am I), so I am going to post links to the songs elsewhere so you can at least go there and listen to them. Update: Let’s try this. Here’s a player with all the songs in it. Hopefully, it will work better (it looks like it will); also links to the songs on youtube still provided.
Marina and the Diamonds – Hollywood
(watch the video on youtube!)
First up today, is the new single Hollywood from Marina and the Diamonds. I fell instantly in love with Marina back in 2009 with her MASSIVE single, I Am Not A Robot, which I still play over and over. I have been waiting for Marina to release a proper full length album, and it seems my wishes will be fulfilled later this month. With Hollywood being the first taste of what to expect, my guess is Marina’s upcoming debut, The Family Jewels, will find itself amongst my favorite albums of 2010. This song is on constant repeat in my car, and it really does seem that I cannot get enough of Marina and the Diamonds. Living in the movie scene/puking American dreams; YES!!
Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi
(watch the video on youtube!)
If this song comes on, and I am on the dance floor, my advice to you is to back the fuck up, because I am about to break this motherfucker down. Seriously, I first heard this track after my buddy Stu turned me on to it, and now it is a MUST request every time we go dancing at Mary’s. This jam has such a fresh and infectious dance groove, and it really gets me moving, and makes me want to dance my legs off. This is one of those songs that I have been enjoying for a little while now, and I have been antsy waiting to get the word out to all of you; finally, the Kid Sister love is out there!! I want to go out, stack money, and drink all night with this bad ass lady!
Alphabeat – DJ
(listen on youtube!)
From their upcoming (?) album, The Spell, this track is one of those songs that is such a wonderful reminder of the great dance pop of the 90s. Just like the Kid Sister track above, this song is one of those songs that every single time it comes on, I find myself dancing like a maniac, and loving every second of it. I love everything about this song, and it is one that I have definitely been playing on repeat. Note: that while the player does say that this song is called Hole In My Heart, it is definitely mislabelled, because the song that plays in the above player is definitely DJ. To me, this is the best song Alphabeat has made to date!
Orianthi – According to You
(watch the video on youtube!)
This song kind of came out of nowhere for me; and I loved it the first time I heard it. The power riffs, killer vocals, and the well-written kiss off lyrics are just too good to ignore. While the Guitar Hero-esque video is a bit weird, I have to say, that it is refreshing to see a girl that can really wail on the guitar like Orianthi can, and I love the way she melds the metal guitar with pure, unadulterated pop music. This song should be getting a lot of radio play very soon as more and more people catch on to this infectious little song.
Imogen Heap – Wait It Out
(listen on youtube!)
While I was sad that Ellipse didn’t resonate with me in the way that her previous album did, I re-discovered this amazing track when I heard it in the background on one of my regular shows (I think it was Chuck). After hearing it again, I went back and spent some more time with this song, and I have to say, that I completely love it, and I am glad that I was able to re-discover its brilliance. I love the song’s inherent sweetness, and the multi-layered melodies that Imogen is so good at weaving together. Sometimes, I find songs on albums that I put down too soon, and this is a wonderful example of that happening.
Well, I’m have to say, that I am glad to be back; I have missed bringing you the best music that I can get my hands on. What did you think? Please feel free to leave me comments and let me know what you thought, and definitely let me know what you are listening to as well.
I resisted La Roux for quite a while before she clawed her way into my heart with that shrill-ass voice coupled with a velvety smooth beat. While, as I mentioned, the vocals are something to definitely, um, “get used to”, the music is not. This song is definitely one that begs to be blasted from every car stereo as you drive about in the summer heat, and promises to fill dance floors throughout the land. The uber-catchy quality of this song is what allowed me to give it chance after chance, and eventually get used to the vocals (which it may seem that I am harping on, but cannot stress enough, you will get used to); the music is too fucking good to let it get in the way. This is definitely a “song of the summer” for sure.
Another massive song from Peter Bjorn and John, It Don’t Move Me didn’t “move me” when I initially nabbed their follow up to the wildly successful Writer’s Block. The album is noticeably darker, and the beats are almost angrier; but underneath, the same attention to detail and high quality music is clearly present. This song definitely shares more similarity to the songs from Writer’s Block than much of the rest of Living Thing, but it shows a musical maturity that is not only welcome, but totally refreshing. It has made me pay closer attention to Living Thing, which has turned out to be a good thing; fantastic, well crafted songs like this, are what make listening to music one of my favorite past times. 
HELL FUCKING YES, Imogen Heap is BACK! WAAAAY back in 2005, Imogen released her stellar sophomore album, Speak For Yourself, and while I didn’t hear it until some time later, it completely blew me away with how amazing it is. The most amazing song on the album, Hide and Seek, made me fall deeply in love with Imogen’s unique voice, and the manner in which she creates music that is not only beautiful, but unique and interesting. The rest of the album resonated very well with me, and made me a huge fan of her sound, and had me waiting with baited breath for a follow up. Well, that follow up is just on the horizon; her new album Ellipse will be released the day before my birthday, August 25, 2009. This is the first, and quite fantastic, single from the new album, and it harnesses her trademark sound from Speak for Yourself. If this is an indicator of how fantastic Ellipse will surely be, I expect it to be amongst my top albums of this year.
This is the little song that threw its lasso around my heart, pulled me in close, and comforted me like a warm blanket on a cold night. The tenderness of Toby’s vocals, coupled with the sweet folk-pop music makes for a beautiful ballad; one that only gets better with the super sweet sentiment of the lyrics. I should also say that there are several words that just make me happy when I hear them, especially in songs (for whatever reason, I don’t know…), and unfurled is one of them, and he uses it in the chorus; which obviously makes me happy. This is a sweet song with great sentiment, and highlights the surprising power in Toby’s vocals. It was a great random find.
I am going to go “old school” with you on this one. I discovered this song from an amazing little movie that most people have never even heard of: 
Last album released: Ta-Dah, 2006. First up is one of my all time favorite bands, the Scissor Sisters. I fell in love with them because of their amazing debut, and they only made me more of a fan with their brilliant sophomore album; but that was way back in 2006 (when Ta-Dah topped my year end list), and I am hungering for some new Scissor Sisters. I have been listening to their previous two albums this month, and loving every minute of each one; but it just makes me want more. I love my Scissor Sisters and hope to hear something new from them this year. This is one of my favorite songs of theirs, and it comes from the aforementioned amazing record, Ta-Dah.
Last album released: Zombies! Vampires! Aliens! Dinosaurs!, 2006. I heard of Hellogoodbye randomly, and ended up getting the whole album because of how infectious and poppy it was. I ended up seeing them live, and they were brilliant and full of energy. I like to think of them as like a more electronically driven version of Weezer; with an extra dose of happiness. I loved this album, and it solidly made my best of 2006 list, so I am really anxious to hear more from these guys. It seems like it’s been forever, but that’s how it feels when you haven’t heard from someone you love in a while. I love the energy of this song, and it totally sums up their concert experience; everyone jump around and have a great time!
Last album released: Speak For Yourself, 2005. Oh Immi, how I love you! It’s been quite a while since a 
Last album released: Life in Cartoon Motion, early 2007. Mika was one of those artists that got HUGE buzz from me in early 2007, and my love for him maintained and even grew throughout that year, allowing him a place on my year end list for 2007. However, given that Mika’s brilliant debut hit shelves in early 2007, it has been almost 2 years since I have heard anything new from this amazing artist, and I am really hoping that 2009 is another great year filled with more Mika. This is definitely one of the most infectious songs of 2007, and really highlights how amazing, and how full fledged POP Mika is; here’s hoping that he’s got something great up his sleeve for 2009.
Last NEW album released: Robyn, 2005 (and again in 2008). Alright, now I am being a little hard on Robyn here, but hear me out. Yes, she was nominated for her BRILLIANT 2008 self titled album, but remember that this album was released WAAAAY back in 2005. Did it stand up to the test of time? Certainly! However, it is TIME for some new Robyn. She seems happy to be releasing her amazingness on the world a spoonful at at time, and continues to wet our appetites with singles off of this release, but we are SCREAMING for something new; and I am not talking about an EP with just a few more brilliant songs. If this album is any indicator of how brilliant she is, there has got to be so much more waiting in the wings, and I for one am salivating for it. Robyn, you are one of the best things to happen to pop music in the last few years, so do us a solid and bring us more of your sweet delicious amazingness, won’t you?! I am crossing my fingers for something amazing in 2009 from the equally amazing Robyn.
Next album release: Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, March 24, 2009. I love the Indigo Girls, and with their last album, Despite our Differences, they showed no signs of slowing. In fact, I would venture to say that the Indigo Girls are definitely a fine wine that grows only better and more delicious with age. Their harmonies are the stuff that angels aspire to copy, and their music is wonderfully crafted, and delightful to listen to. I am very eager for this new album, and am very excited to get yet another album from one of my all time favorite groups. 
Next album release: City of Black & White, May 19, 2009. I have been a major fan of Mat’s beautiful blend of alternative/indie/hip-hop ever since I heard his major label debut, Nothing Left To Lose. After seeing him in concert, I became a tried and true fan, and have been waiting for new stuff from this amazing guy. Well, I was more than happy to see that he has a new CD coming out, and if this, the lead single off of the album, is any indicator of how it will be, it sounds like it will be just as brilliant as his debut (now, you KNOW I couldn’t resist bringing you something new and amazing this week, didn’t you!?!? Well here it is; you can purchase your own copy of this brilliant song